How to fix unstable connection issues on iOS – Surfshark Customer Support

In this tutorial, you will learn what might cause connectivity issues on your iOS device and how to fix them.

If you notice the connection being unstable on your iPhone or iPad when connected to a VPN, here is what you should try at first:

Change the default protocol on your Surfshark app.

To do that, launch the Surfshark app, go to Settings --> VPN Settings, then open the Protocol tab. This is where you will find an option to change the default protocol.

Change the protocol from Automatic to OpenVPN(UDP). If that does not help, try the OpenVPN(TCP) protocol.
Turn off the Low Power mode.

Low Power mode disables many systems on the device, including some networking functions.

Since there are many different iOS versions, this setting might appear in a different location. But most often, you will find it if you go to your device's Settings and check the Battery section. If Low Power mode is enabled, check if turning it off makes a difference.
Disable potentially interfering apps.

Some apps might have taken over network controls on your device. That can sometimes interfere with Surfshark (or any other VPN) connection.

This applies to anti-virus software, other VPNs, firewalls, and file-sharing apps. If you have any of those, try disabling them. Then reboot your device and see if the connection gets any better.
Switch to a different network.

Connectivity issues might be network-specific. This often happens if the Internet Provider applies some kind of restrictions on its network. To see if that is the case, try to check if connectivity issues remain while connected to a different network.

You can easily do that on your iOS by switching from Wi-Fi to a mobile data network or vice versa.
Try other locations.

For various reasons, one location might provide a more stable connection compared to others.

To change the location, open the Locations page on your Surfshark app, where you will find the full list of our servers. Try to test at least several different servers and see if the issue persists.
Restart your device.

Even though it may sound too simple, resetting your device will give you a fresh start.
Check if you have IPv6 on your network.

IPv6 is a networking system that some Internet networks might have. Surfshark does not support IPv6 at the moment, so if you have it on your network, connectivity issues may arise.

Here is a tutorial you can use to determine if you actually have IPv6. Unfortunately, iOS devices do not have an option to turn it off locally. So if you find that IPv6 is on, it would be best to contact your internet service provider and request to turn it off.